Japan unlikely to recognize Palestinian state: sources

Japan is unlikely to recognize Palestinian statehood for now, government sources said Wednesday, apparently taking into account the ongoing conflict with Israel and the position of the United States, Tokyo's most important ally.Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, who has told executives of his party that he plans to attend the U.N. General Assembly in New York later in the month, is not expected to participate in an international conference on the Palestine issue to be held before high-level debates at the U.N. headquarters, the sources said.Ishiba has announced that he will step down a…READ FULL ARTICLE